


Études

by potatodaniel



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Classical Music AU, Guitarist!Daniel, M/M, Music AU, band au, everyone is a multi instrumentalist here, mainly Pianist!Jihoon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-03-23 21:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13797051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potatodaniel/pseuds/potatodaniel
Summary: all his life, jihoon’s fingers are restricted by the frigid notes written on the music sheets. one day, someone sets them free.





	1. Waterfall

A sweet melody. Unknown. Calming breeze. The curtains are twisting and turning softly and slowly. The blue sky today is beautiful as well. The scattered sunbeams creep through the window and land right under his feet along with the cherry blossom petals that the breeze brings in. Jihoon closes his eyes and smiles as his fingers move gracefully on the sleek black and white keys of the grand piano in the music room and his right foot steps on the pedals carefully. The notes he creates inside his head are escaping through the tips of his fingers. The music room is filled once again with everything he can never let out elsewhere.

In this music room, he’s free. His hands, his fingers—that are usually tied by the frigid notes on the music sheets are now unleashed. One of the reasons why he loves being in school more than his room where the pillows are fluffy and the blankets are soft. But all of those things are cold compared to the warmth of this place—this room, this old piano.

When he first got accepted into this high school, the first thing he did on the first day was sneaking out of the classroom—not exactly sneaking out because he did it at lunch hour—and excitedly looking for the music room. Ever since he discovered the old grand piano sitting in the corner of the music room, covered in blue cloth, he visits the room every lunch hour—without missing his lunch first, of course. It’s been almost two weeks since and he feels really content to have this room all to himself like this.

The soft melody that flows are suddenly interrupted when he hears a few knocks on the door. Jihoon’s fingers stop and he opens his eyes. He stares at the door painted in soft blue for a moment before a few other knocks make it clear that there’s someone in the other side.

Jihoon stands up and panics immediately. He scans his surrounding to look for the blue cloth he threw away carelessly just a few minutes ago. When he finds it under the percussion box, he snatches it from the carpeted floor and drapes the cloth over the piano tidily. He’s glad he never opens the lid—to lessen the chance of someone figuring out that the music room is used by this reclusive freshman every lunch hour.

He breathes out and buttons his jacket as he walks to the door. He unlocks and opens it. There are three seniors that immediately come into his view. They are staring at him with looks he doesn’t know how to describe. He bows his head in respect and slips through the space between them and the door hurriedly. He doesn’t want to make a fuss. He doesn’t want them to question him.

As he walks away from the music room, he hits his own head with his fist and clicks his tongue in embarrassment. Surely, he’s not going to be the only one who uses the music room. The room is a school facility, not his place for his own pleasure. He will have to find out how to use the room without people finding out in the future.

* * *

Daniel knits his eyebrows when the junior leaves the music room and passes by them. When the smaller boy is no longer in their sight, he blankly stares at the empty music room. What was that melody he heard a few moments ago? Was it played by the boy?

“Woah…” Jaehwan who’s standing right beside him voices out his amazement. “No one beside us uses that piano before.”

In this public school, no one plays music instruments unless they have to do it for art class. Most students tend to choose drawing abstract faces of the teachers they hate instead of playing music—except a couple of boys who play guitar under the tree in the small park beside the cafeteria. The only ones who use the music room are only Daniel, Jaehwan and Seongwoo. They are the sole members of the music club and the only existing school band.

“He’s cute!” is Seongwoo’s first comment.

Jaehwan shrugs his shoulders and enters the club room. He looks at the piano that’s covered by the blue cloth neatly and raises his eyebrows. “It looks like he doesn’t want us to find out that he’s using the room,” he says as he takes Daniel’s bass guitar and passes it to the owner who walks into the room with Seongwoo before taking his own electric guitar.

“It’s been a while,” Jaehwan says as he hugs and kisses his guitar.

Seongwoo closes the door and immediately takes a seat behind his drum set. “Daniel looks smitten,” he laughs as he says that.

Jaehwan scrutinises Daniel’s expression and laughs too.

“The hell are you saying?” Daniel dismisses it with a wave of his hand and starts to tune the strings of his bass.

“I thought you said you wanted to have a permanent keyboardist?” Jaehwan mutters.

Daniel stops tuning his bass and stares at Jaehwan who’s taking out a mic stand. Then he looks down to his own fingers on the strings and seems to contemplate about something. Jaehwan and Seongwoo are staring at him and waiting for him to say whatever is in his mind. The youngest but the tallest boy raises his head and exchanges looks with his bandmates. “I want him.”

* * *

Jihoon dispassionately touches the keys of the expensive grand piano in the study room. He pouts as he stares at the music sheets that are open in front of him. He’s not playing it, he’s just moving an index finger on the still keys while Hwang Minhyun, his teacher, is staring at him in expectation. Jihoon just won’t give in. Until Minhyun speaks first, he won’t start anything.

“What do you want this time?” Minhyun finally speaks.

The young boy looks up at him with his starry eyes that always manage to make Minhyun surrender.

“My father is not home,” Jihoon says while his hands are playing with the hem of his sweater.

It takes a few milliseconds for Minhyun’s face to turn red and his eyes to widen at the younger’s words that may imply other things. Jihoon stares at him in confusion before realising a few seconds too late. He flinches in apology and brings his hands in front of him and waves them furiously. His ears turn red as well.

“I-I mean… since my father is not home… c-can I… play whatever…” he lowers his voice and turns his gaze down to his feet.

The man clears his throat and awkwardly scratches the back of his head. He isn’t paid for this but Jihoon is as precious as a spoiled little brother to him. He smiles and nods his head. “Of course.”

Jihoon looks up and beams at his answer. He thanks the man and immediately turns towards his piano. He closes the music sheets before throwing it away from his sight. Minhyun laughs softly at his antics and moves closer to the boy to pat his head.

“Your grade 8 exam is coming close though,” he says, still caressing the boy’s soft hair. “And I heard you’ve been declining your violin lessons too.”

The boy sighs and clenches his hands in fists. He looks up to pout at Minhyun as if he wants the older man to assure him that it is okay to not play anything his father wants. Even though Minhyun is soft towards the boy all the time, but he can’t give him that.

“Your father wants you to be in his conservatory. He wants you to pursue a music major in Oxford.”

“But I want to play my own music. And I want to play Coldplay’s songs instead of Chopin’s Etudes.”

Jihoon lets his head down and places both of his hands on his thighs. Minhyun laughs. He asks Jihoon to move by patting the boy’s arm. When Jihoon gives him space, he sits beside the boy and puts his fingers on the keys. He starts pressing them and a jazzy tune comes out. It makes a smile bloom on Jihoon’s face. As long as it’s not something written on those sheets, he will enjoy it. He nods and taps his feet in harmony with Minhyun’s fingers.

“I’m about the same age as you, so sometimes I play modern music too. Don’t be afraid to show it,” he says.

Jihoon pouts again and glares at Minhyun. “Not in the vicinity of my father. And, no, you’re six years older than me. We’re not the same age!” he scrunches his face and lolls his tongue out to mock Minhyun.

Minhyun stops his fingers and starts to ruffle Jihoon’s hair furiously, making the boy laugh gleefully.

Another day passes without Jihoon playing the ridiculous, restricting and suffocating notes.

* * *

Hesitation slowly shows itself in Jihoon’s steps as the boy reaches the music room. He stops his feet in front of the door and bites his lips. He contemplates for a while before putting his hand on the door knob, but when he’s about to turn the knob and open the door, he stops. What if there’s someone inside? He retreats and turns his hands into fists. He looks around for a while before knocking on the door.

There’s nothing. No one answers.

He knocks again to make sure and it’s still the same. He does a small jump of excitement and beams in delight before turning the door knob for real this time. He opens the door wide and enters the room but his movement is immediately halted and his smile fades from his face when he sees there’s in the room, sitting on the floor with an acoustic guitar in his hands, his back on the wall and staring at him. His expression is indifferent. He is one of the seniors he saw the day before.

They stare at each other for a few seconds before Jihoon breaks the gaze and steps back.

“I-I’m sorry for intruding, _sunbaenim_ …” he stutters as he bows himself down. He grabs the door knob again and prepares to close the door. “I will just-”

“You want to use the piano?” the older boy asks.

Jihoon closes his mouth and stares at him. He glances at the piano that’s covered by the usual cloth before turning his eyes to the older boy again. He bits his lips and slowly shakes his head.

The older boy sees the clenched fists and raises a hand to make a gesture that commands the younger boy to come in. Jihoon hesitates and scratches the back of his head awkwardly before stepping in.

To his surprise, the older boy smiles for the first time.

“Close the door,” he demands.

And Jihoon does.

* * *

Daniel opens his eyes when he hears the knocks at the door. He stares at the closed door of the music room. If it’s Jaehwan or Seongwoo they will barge in without knocking because the room is practically theirs, so they don’t need permission. His thought flies to the memory of what occurred here yesterday and he raises an eyebrow. It might be the piano boy yesterday.

A few knocks again and Daniel doesn’t answer. He moves his acoustic guitar on his lap closer and waits.

The door finally flies open and the junior from the day before shows up with a smile on his face before that smile fades and he freeze when he sees Daniel. They are staring at each other for a few moments before the small boy looks away.

“I-I’m sorry for intruding, _sunbaenim_ … I will just-”

Before the younger boy closes the door. Daniel voices out, “You want to use the piano?” He doesn’t want the chance to slip away. He must find out whether this person can be recruited into his band or not.

The younger boy just stares at him. He quietly glances at the piano before staring at Daniel again. To Daniel’s surprise, the boy bits his lips and shakes his head. Daniel looks at the younger boy’s clenched fists. Such a strong want. He doesn’t know what makes the younger boy refraining himself from playing the piano. If he really did play the piano yesterday, with such skill, he should’ve never felt afraid nor shy to show what he can do.

Daniel gestures for the boy to come in with his hand. And when the boy does, he smiles.

“Close the door,” he says.

He stands up and puts his guitar down on the floor. He approaches the grand piano and takes the cloth off. The younger boy is staring at his every movement.

“What’s your name? I’m Kang Daniel from third year class A,” he introduces himself. “I’m the music club’s vice-president.”

“I’m first year class B, Park Jihoon,” the boy answers softly but Daniel still manages to catch it.

He smiles at the boy before turning his attention to the grand piano again. “If you want to play the piano, you can come here anytime. No one here beside the three of us can play it anyway and we have different preferences, so it is rarely used,” Daniel starts speaking and opening the lid.

He’s surprised when two hands come and grab the wrist of his hand that is about to open the lid. He stares at the small hands before turning his eyes to the boy who’s now opening and closing his mouth as if he wants to say something but can’t.

Jihoon retreats his hands away and steps back. His ears turn red and he’s bowing really low. “I’m sorry. Yes, I want to play the piano. Please don’t open the lid.”

Daniel raises an eyebrow. “Why?”

“The room… the room is not soundproofed enough, so…” Jihoon bits his lower lip.

It makes Daniel snicker. He opens the lid anyway and supports it with the prop. He then sits in front of the piano and pats the space beside him for the boy to come over and sit there.

Jihoon complies. He sits beside the older boy awkwardly. Not only because it’s his first time being this close to anyone at school but also because the other is too big so the space he sits on isn’t much, but who he is to complain?

Daniel starts playing the piano clumsily. He knows how to play it, but wrong keys here and there, and Jihoon unconsciously laughs at the clumsiness. Daniel turns his head to him. Jihoon stops laughing and lowers his head. Daniel stops his fingers and smiles while staring at the younger boy.

“Were you the one playing the piano yesterday?” he asks.

Jihoon raises his head to look at him for a moment before looking down again. He nods.

Daniel puts his hand under the other’s chin and makes him look up. “Stop staring at the floor. Don’t you know that it’s impolite to talk to your senior while looking down?”

Jihoon seems surprised at his words and apologises.

“I’m sorry… Daniel- _sunbae_ -”

“You can call me _hyung_ ,” Daniel interrupts.

“Ah… I’m sorry, Daniel- _hyung_ …”

Daniel puts his hands on the keyboard again and thinks for a bit before saying, “Jaehwan made this song before the spring break. The song is really good but I think it lacks something. Seongwoo said that his composing is shit and I agreed to his opinion impulsively. Jaehwan is easily butthurt so we fought about it for weeks and didn’t come to the music room at all for the duration of our fight. We made up recently.”

He turns his head to Jihoon who is visibly awkward but still trying to listen to Daniel’s story. He probably doesn’t even know which one in this school is named Jaehwan and which one is Seongwoo.

“Want to listen?” he wiggles his eyebrows.

And as expected, the younger boy nods with a small and sweet smile on his face.

“Okay. Wait. Let me remember the melody,” Daniel says as he closes his eyes in concentration and puts his index fingers on both sides of his head as if he’s trying to strum his memory through those fingers.

After a few seconds, Daniel puts his fingers on the keyboard and presses the keys. Beautiful melody escapes from the music instrument but Jihoon still listens to it attentively. He stares at those beautiful long fingers pressing the keys—a little too clumsy, but he enjoys it. Jihoon taps his feet along with the rhythm. He lets Daniel finish it.

When the older boy finishes, he turns his head to Jihoon again and asks, “How’s it? I mean the composition. Don’t comment on my skill. At all.”

They are staring at each other for a moment before Jihoon lets out a melodious laugh and covers his mouth with his hand. He thinks this is the loudest laugh he’s ever let out when he’s not with Minhyun. Daniel only stares at him with a smile on his—can Jihoon admit this?—handsome face. A blush creeps on Jihoon’s round cheeks at the passing thought. Unknown to him, Daniel loves the sight.

“You play it really well,” Jihoon says, trying to be polite and not to hurt the older boy. “I think the composition is good. Um… Jaehwan- _sunbaenim_ must be… a very talented person.”

Daniel nods. “The title is ‘Energetic’. Don’t you think it’s too wimpy to be called ‘Energetic’? He doesn’t want to change the title. The three of us are quite stubborn, so we fight over this kind of thing very often and always end up ditching whatever we are working on.”

Jihoon opens his mouth in amazement. “But it’s too good to be ditched,” he says. He stares at the piano and puts a hand gently on the keys. He looks up at Daniel expectantly. The older boy holds his breath when stars show up in his eyes. “Can I… add something?”

Daniel smiles widely.

* * *

Park Jihoon must be nuts. He must be crazy. What was he thinking? He can’t stop calling himself crazy in his head and feels anxious when he tries to concentrate on the math formulas on the whiteboard. He keeps turning the pen in his hand between his fingers. Not a thing is written on his notebook. He’s feeling restless.

He didn’t even think about the possibility of people passing by the music room. He didn’t even check whether there was a recording tool. He didn’t check whether Daniel recorded or not—

Jihoon shakes his head. No, he must not think about it. There’s no way Daniel would do that, right? For what reason?

Jihoon bites his lip in worry. No. Daniel doesn’t seem to bring anything, not even his phone. He vaguely remembers that there was a phone being charged in the corner of the room. But who knows if it was turned off or not?

The open window. The spring breezes. The open lid…

His eyes widen in realisation and the hand he’s using to fiddle with his pen suddenly freeze. The piano lid was open. He puts a hand on his chest and suddenly it’s difficult to breathe.

What if father finds out?

The boy named Donghan who sits beside him suddenly touches his shoulder. He jumps and turns his head to the boy.

“Are you okay?” he asks worriedly.

Jihoon tries to calm himself down and puts an index finger on his own lips to tell Donghan not to make a fuss about it. He mouths a quiet, “I’m okay.”

He will definitely settle this later.

* * *

He decides to come home late. It’s okay to be a bit late to Dongho’s cello lesson, he will tell his father that he gets additional assignment. And here he finds himself standing in front of the music room again. He can hear the sound of music coming out from the room. The club activities start after the last class ends. Jihoon doesn’t join any club because his father of course prioritises his piano, violin and cello lessons over school activities.

Jihoon stands in front of the music room for too long while contemplating on what he is about to do that he doesn’t realise when the music playing inside the room already stops. When the door is opened, Jihoon almost jumps back in surprise. He puts both of his hands in front of his chest. Someone is standing in front of him and staring at him in confusion right now, and it’s not Daniel.

“Oh-” the person lets out the sound and rakes his eyes up and down Jihoon’s smaller form. “The cute junior.”

Jihoon widens his eyes and blushes. The older boy grins widely. Suddenly he grabs Jihoon’s hand, intertwines their fingers— _rude_ —and pulls the younger boy in.

“W-wait! _Sunbaenim_!”

The older boy isn’t listening to him, though.

“There’s another applicant!” he yells. Jihoon flinches.

“Shut up, Seongwoo!” another senior there covers his ears when the boy who is dragging Jihoon into the club room yells. If the one dragging him in is Seongwoo, the one who’s covering his ears must be the one and only talented Jaehwan—Daniel calls him that.

Jihoon looks around the room to search for the figure of the person he’s looking for. There’s no Daniel in sight. There’s another boy that—from the uniform he’s wearing—seems to be another first year like him. If he’s not mistaken, he’s a boy from class A. Both him and Jaehwan are staring at him.

Seongwoo starts to introduce the people in the room. “This one with stupid face is Kim Jaehwan. He looks stupid but he can play everything that sounds. And this is a new club applicant like you, Park Woojin from class A, he’s a guitar noob—” Woojin glares at him. “Ah, I’m Ong Seongwoo, by the way. I saw you walking in the hallway with Daniel after lunch hour, so I bet you already know him. Now-” Seongwoo points at each person he’s introducing and then finally he lets go of Jihoon’s hand and ruffles the younger boy’s hair, making him flinch once again. “Introduce yourself, cutie.”

Jihoon stares at Seongwoo for a moment before opening his mouth. “I-I’m Park Jihoon from class B.” His hands fiddle with the strap of his messenger bag. He bites his lip and looks at his shoes. Then he remembers his purpose here. He has to talk with Daniel. He has to ask him the things that keep hammering his mind. He has to-

“Um… do you know where Daniel- _hyu_ — _sunbaenim_ is?” he asks carefully.

“No! I won’t allow this!” Seongwoo chides suddenly. Jihoon jumps a step back at the sudden outburst. Seongwoo puts his hands on both sides of Jihoon’s arms and shakes his small body. He stares at the older boy in horror. Just what’s wrong with this guy? “I won’t allow you to confess to Daniel before you know that I’m better than him! First, you have to join the music club. Second,” he makes a gesture to Jaehwan to stand up from his seat. “Bring out the snacks!”

“Why are you ordering me around? I’m the club president!” Jaehwan protests but he takes out a box of snacks they smuggled inside the cupboard anyway.

Jaehwan spreads variety of snacks, a bottle of cola and four paper cups on the only table they have there. Seongwoo pulls Jihoon closer and forces the poor boy to sit on one of the chairs. Jihoon turns his eyes to Woojin who’s also staring back at him. Seongwoo takes a pack of rice cracker and tears the plastic wrapper before giving it to Jihoon who accepts it in confusion. Jaehwan pours the cola in the paper cups and distributes them.

“I’m gonna give you an advice. Don’t go for a man like Daniel. I know he gives free hopes and beams happiness like laser gun, but he can’t be trusted. Can you believe that he’s two timing us? He’s cheating on Jaehwan and me as we speak,” Seongwoo starts. He takes the cup Jaehwan puts in front of him and drinks the cola like an old man drinking a glass of soju.

Jihoon stares down at the rice cracker peeking through its wrapper in his hand but it feels like the rice cracker is staring at him instead of the other way around.

“The school allows the students to join two clubs,” Woojin speaks for the first time. Jihoon never heard his voice before. It’s quite deep for a boy their age.

“In the music club, we don’t allow it,” Seongwoo shakes his head.

“I think you have to change the rules because that is probably the reason why you only have three members,” Woojin comments.

Jaehwan puts a whole rice cracker inside his mouth and laughs.

“Daniel is cheating on us!” Seongwoo says again. He puts an arm around Jihoon’s shoulders and sighs. “What’s so cool about dribbling orange balls? It’s a sport for jerks!”

“Maybe that’s the reason he’s got abs and you have none,” Woojin comments again.

Jaehwan quits munching his snack and silently stares at his slightly protruding stomach covered by his school uniform.

Jihoon stares at the other first year boy in horror. How could he speak to the seniors like that?

Seongwoo laughs. “You’re good at retorting. I like you.”

They exchange as they eat the snacks and drink the cola. Jihoon gives in and starts enjoying the treats. Both Seongwoo and Jaehwan are caring and funny. He even laughs at their jokes and random bickering. An hour passes without him realising.


	2. Chromatique

The melody that flows in the air comes into a halt. The study room becomes silent and Jihoon’s hands linger above the black and white keys. His eyes are still on the music sheets in front of him, but he can’t concentrate at all. He breathes in and out in annoyance before turning his face to his teacher. The man is not taking his eyes off of him as usual, but the ‘staring’ is annoying and makes Jihoon feel uncomfortable.

Hwang Minhyun is sitting on a sofa not too far away from the grand piano and he is staring at Jihoon with a look that he always has whenever he has something to say about Jihoon and the young boy’s father. The look of a counselling teacher instead of a piano teacher that Jihoon never likes—he has enough of that from Jonghyun every time he’s having his violin practice. Jihoon doesn’t continue the piece he was playing and only stares at Minhyun, waiting for the older man to speak first as usual.

“Why won’t you finish? If your father is here, you will get into trouble,” Minhyun says calmly, tapping his fingers on his thighs covered in black trousers.

There’s a moment of pause before Jihoon answers, “Because father is not here.” He looks down and stares at his fiddling fingers instead. If his father is home, he will never dare taking his hands off of the piano before he finishes the whole music sheet. Today, there’s only Minhyun and him.

Minhyun sighs. “I heard from Jonghyun and Dongho that you came home late for the past four days.”

Jihoon doesn’t say anything in response. He opens his mouth and then closes it again. He changes his gaze towards the carpet underneath his feet. It’s a slight movement that doesn’t go unnoticed by the tall man.

“Your father knows?” he asks.

The boy only nods and then says, “I got a lot of assignments, so I stayed a bit longer after school. I don’t neglect my lessons after school, I swear.” But he still isn’t looking at his piano teacher.

A small smile forms on Minhyun’s face. “Oh, really? That must have been though,” he says. Jihoon nods right away, thinking that he has already escaped. Minhyun pauses for a moment before asking another question. “You’re not joining any club, are you?”

Jihoon lets out a flinch and Minhyun immediately knows.

What a bad liar his student is.

“Is it a music club?” Minhyun guesses. “Not a chamber orchestra for sure.”

Jihoon looks up and immediately blurts, “Yes!” then he shakes his head and corrects himself. “No! I mean—no! I’m not joining any club. I… I haven’t decided to join yet, but… I, you know, kind of… hang around the club, but I’m not…” the sentence trails off and then he bites his lower lip.

He hasn’t decided to join the club yet but he’s been hanging around with the club members recently. After the modest welcome party they threw for Woojin and Jihoon, Seongwoo decided one-sidedly that they are parts of the music club. Jihoon says nothing to clarify his membership though. Ever since that day, whenever the last bell rings, Seongwoo will make his way to his class and grab his hand to drag him to the music room. They haven’t even played anything for the past four days in there except singing gibberish together accompanied by Jaehwan’s acoustic guitar while eating snacks and drinking cola.

He didn’t forget about his intention to ask Daniel about his contribution for the composition of Jaehwan’s song. He was glad that Daniel hadn’t told his bandmates anything about it that day. Jihoon asked him to take the credit instead of telling the members that Jihoon was the one who spiced up the composition. Daniel agreed to it with some questions lingering in the air because Jihoon refused to tell him the reason.

So, Jihoon really isn’t joining any club at school.

Jihoon looks up at Minhyun with pleading eyes. “You’re not going to tell my father… right?”

Minhyun chuckles. He stands up and walks towards where Jihoon is sitting. He stops in front of the boy and puts his hand on the top of his head. “Of course, I won’t, silly.” He ruffles the boy’s soft locks. “And I can guarantee that Jonghyun and Dongho won’t say anything to your father either when they finally find out. Just don’t give them too much pressure because they need to seriously do their job. And don’t come home too late because you need to keep practising. I don’t want you to exhaust yourself.”

Jihoon pouts playfully before hugging Minhyun’s waist tightly. He lets his head rest on the man’s flat stomach with his eyes closed. The man laughs and pats Jihoon’s head again. The boy smiles and giggles.

“Now, how about we finish it quickly? Because I have to go somewhere after this,” Minhyun says.

Jihoon looks up. “Where?”

“The mall next block. I have to pick the book I ordered from the bookstore there.”

The stars in Jihoon’s eyes show up and fill them with those irrefutable lights. “The mall?” He gasps. It’s been months since he last went there—more like, anywhere besides his house, his school and his father’s conservatory. “Can I go with you? I think I’m out of rosin.” Jihoon looks so hopeful that Minhyun almost says yes immediately.

“It will still be me until Monday, you don’t need to get that now. Dongho and Jonghyun won’t kill you just because you’re out of rosin.”

Jihoon doesn’t avert his eyes and keeps staring at the man with that expectant look in his eyes. Minhyun sighs in surrender.

“You just want to go out with me, right?” Minhyun says and flicks his index finger on Jihoon’s forehead. The boy whines and lets go of Minhyun’s waist to nurse his reddening forehead. “You can go with me, but you have to finish today’s lesson first.”

Jihoon nods enthusiastically and turns himself to the grand piano again, eager to finish it, earning another chuckle from Minhyun.

* * *

The mall is quite crowded on Saturday night. Minhyun decides to walk around for a bit after picking the book he needs from the bookshop and buying rosin for Jihoon. The boy looks even eager now after seeing a stage in the hall right in the middle of the shopping mall. There are crowds surrounding the stage and some bands are performing there. Earlier, Jihoon stopped to look around when they first arrived and Minhyun had to drag him and promise him he could watch the event only after they finished their shopping.

There’s a couple of men on the stage, singing and playing the music instruments. The crowds are swarming around the stage and they are standing a few metres away from them but still manage to catch a glimpse of the small stage—Minhyun just by standing straight there while Jihoon is trying his hardest by tiptoeing. There’s a huge ‘Saturday Night Music Festival’ written above the stage. Jihoon lets out a sound of amazement and Minhyun laughs.

“There’s a music event every Saturday here,” the man explains and points at the stage. “It’s also some sort of competition because you get to vote for the performers. I think if they have enough vote they will get to perform again the next week.”

Jihoon turns his head to his piano teacher’s direction. “It’s close to home. Why didn’t I know?” He stares at the stage again and pouts. “Right, because father won’t let me,” he answers his own question. He looks at Minhyun again with tilted head and a mischievous smile. “But as long as I’m with Hwang- _seonsaengnim_ , it’s okay, right?”

Minhyun stares at the boy’s cuteness with a small smile on his face. He pinches Jihoon’s round cheek and the boy giggles.

The band finish their song and walk down the stage. Minhyun claps his hands along with the crowd and Jihoon follows what Minhyun is doing.

A few minutes later, after another band finish their song, someone approaches the centre of the stage with a guitar in his hand. He sits on the stool in front of the mic stand. The crowds scream wildly when he smiles at them. As he starts tuning his guitar, Jihoon’s eyes widen in realisation and he lets out a small gasp. Minhyun notices the boy’s reaction and stares back and forth between his student and the boy on the stage.

“Someone you know?” he asks.

Jihoon nods his head, not averting his gaze from the boy on the stage. “He is a senior in the music club. He’s the one who invites me.”

“Oh, really?” Minhyun knits his eyebrows. “What’s his name?”

“Seongwoo- _hyung_ ,” Jihoon answers with his eyes still on the taller and older boy in question.

From beside him, he can hear Minhyun taking a sharp intake of breath before shouting,

“SEONGWOO!! FIGHTING!”

Jihoon’s eyes widen in horror when Minhyun starts screaming Seongwoo’s name and waves his hands. He gapes at Minhyun and closes his gaping mouth with his hand. His eyes glance back at the stage to see Seongwoo who finally finds their figures at the back of the crowds and looks at them with slight confusion in his face, but he gives them a warm smile a few seconds later and mutters a ‘thank you’ with the mic in front of him.

Jihoon’s ears redden when the crowds are now staring at them and Minhyun is still waving at Seongwoo. Jihoon slaps his teacher’s arm in embarrassment. Luckily, the crowds turn their heads back to the stage when Seongwoo picks his guitar to gain their attention back to him. They scream when Seongwoo introduces himself before he starts singing.

“It’s for you!” He winks at their direction. Jihoon is not sure if it is for him or Minhyun. He’s sure it’s for his teacher instead of him. Seongwoo picks his guitar and sings, “Wanna be my baby~”

It is one of the songs Seongwoo wrote himself. Jihoon likes it. As long as it’s not an exact rendition of Mozart and the kind, he will listen to anything.

Minhyun feels content just by seeing his student this excited. He looks at the young boy dearly. The stars that went completely gone for the past two years are now returning slowly, popping out and adorning his eyes beautifully. He hopes it will turn him back into the cheerful boy he had always been. If by joining the music club makes the young boy happy, he doesn’t mind lying to Professor Park at all.

“Oh! There you are! Jihoonie~ Jihoonie~”

Someone calls Jihoon’s name and the teacher and student turn their heads towards the direction of the voice. There are two boys who are standing not far away from them with snacks and drinks in their hands. Jihoon immediately identifies them as Jaehwan and Daniel. Jihoon is stunned because it seems like these boys coexist with snacks.

Jaehwan approaches them first. “We heard someone shouting Seongwoo’s name, so it was you.”

He shoves a hotdog at Minhyun. Though the man is surprised by the sudden act, he accepts it and thanks the boy he doesn’t even know. “I’m Kim Jaehwan, you’re welcome,” he introduces himself.

A second later, Daniel stands beside Jaehwan and also shoves a cup of warm coffee that Minhyun also accepts in another wave of confusion. He laughs and his bunny teeth are showing. “Kang Daniel.”

Is this how the youth nowadays introduces themselves? For a moment Minhyun wonders if letting Jihoon befriend these guys is the right choice or not. He just nods his head and mutters his name. “Hwang Minhyun.”

Jihoon ignores their antics and Minhyun’s confused look that is directed towards him. “Why are you all here?” he asks. “You’re not performing together with Seongwoo- _hyung_?”

“Nah.” Jaehwan shakes his head. “We always perform separately here. The audience can vote.” He takes a bite of his half-eaten hotdog. “Do you know the reason why we have a lot of snacks in the music room?” Jaehwan throws a question with a mouthful of sausage.

“The loser has to buy snacks for a week,” Daniel says before taking a sip of his own coffee.

“We’ve been doing this since last year,” Jaehwan adds.

“Who are you going to vote between me, Jaehwan and Seongwoo today?” Daniel asks between the sips.

Jihoon bites his lip and just stares at them without saying anything. Daniel looks at him expectantly with his warm coffee in front of his lips and Jaehwan stops munching his food. They are waiting for his answer.

“You didn’t see our performances, did you?” Daniel narrows his eyes.

Jihoon innocently shakes his head and points at Minhyun who’s sipping the coffee given by Daniel. “We just arrived here not to long ago,” Jihoon explains.

Jaehwan looks at the man standing beside his junior. He’s handsome and tall. He looks a bit older than them, probably a senior college student in his early twenties. Hanging out in a mall at this hour, just the two of them. There has to be something. “Is this your boyfriend?”

Minhyun is choking on his coffee and coughing furiously. He also accidentally spills the coffee in the cup on his cream coloured cardigan after hearing Jaehwan’s question. Jihoon gasps and shakes his head, his small hands waving furiously in front of him. “No, no, no! He’s my piano teacher!” he frantically says. “W-we don’t have that kind of relationship!”

Jaehwan just nods and continues eating his hotdog. And, Jihoon is not seeing Daniel letting out a breath of relief, is he?

“Jihoon, take this.” Minhyun shoves the hotdog and the coffee cup in his hands in front of Jihoon and the boy takes them. He sighs in exasperation when he notices the dark stain on his cardigan. “I’m going to the restroom.” He walks away from where they are standing.

“Anyway—” Without feeling any sort of guilt, Jaehwan stuffs the last bite of his hotdog into his mouth and licks the mayonnaise and sauce smeared on his fingers. “I’m still hungry, I’m gonna buy another. Are you going with me, Daniel? Ah. No. You better stay here with Jihoonie until his teacher comes back. Keep him safe.” He ruffles Jihoon’s hair with his clean hand before walking to where the food stalls are, leaving Jihoon and Daniel alone.

Standing face to face there with Daniel makes Jihoon lower his head awkwardly. They grow pretty close lately. Daniel is a bundle of sunshine who likes teasing and playing around—a _choding_ , Seongwoo and Jaehwan call him. Of course, he feels comfortable whenever he is with Daniel, but the situation right now… this is the first time they meet outside the school. Jihoon raises his head to look at the taller boy. He quietly and unconsciously eyes Daniel’s appearance from head to toe. The casual clothes he’s wearing make him look even better. He is wearing a pair of ripped jeans, white sneakers, a white t-shirt with a gudetama print, an unbuttoned long sleeved black and red gingham chequered shirt and his hair is also styled differently. A blush creeps its way under the skin of Jihoon’s face at his own thoughts.

“You’re neat even when you’re not wearing school uniform, huh?” Unlike Jihoon, Daniel voices his thoughts out loud. He smiles at the younger boy. “Cute.”

Jihoon’s blush deepens in colour. He averts his eyes from the older boy and avoids to say anything. Awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment, he sips Minhyun’s coffee. Just a few minutes ago, Minhyun sipped from the same spot. Daniel only stares at him before scratching the back of his head and turning his eyes at the stage where Seongwoo finally finishes his song.

“This is bad. Seongwoo will be mad. We didn’t pay attention to his performance,” Daniel says with a grin on his face.

Jihoon glances at the taller boy and nods. Seongwoo is an ultimate attention seeker. He gets off from getting a lot of attention. He really hates it when they ignore him and will act no better than _Kang Choding_ when he’s mad.

When Seongwoo stands from the stool, his eyes are already on them. He walks down the stage with a sullen look on his face. Daniel grabs Jihoon’s wrist suddenly. Jihoon’s eyes grow wide in surprise. He’s glad he doesn’t drop the hotdog he’s holding in the hand that Daniel grabs. The older boy pulls him away from the place with Jihoon trying not to spill the coffee.

“Let’s run away before he finds us!” Daniel laughs while trotting and still dragging the younger boy.

Hearing that, Jihoon lets out a laugh and follows him.

* * *

Jihoon thought he was a boy with the hugest appetite in the world—his father makes him think that, beside a good skill and talent you also have to have a good look and fit body when you are playing piano on the stage, he told him. He always tries to eat enough for himself and not lose to his urge to eat too much. But, here is someone who doesn’t care about that kind of thing at all and keeps stuffing his face with anything edible. He is not eating it in a gross way. He doesn’t take a huge bite of the food like Jaehwan does, but everything just disappears one by one into his stomach like a staccato and Jihoon is amazed. He can only take small bites of Minhyun’s hotdog until it’s gone while following and watching the older boy who is visiting different food stalls, finishing one snack and then buying another.

“You’re not eating anything, Hoonie?” Daniel asks, taking a bite of a newly baked bungeoppang and wincing at the hotness that spreads in his mouth.

Jihoon snaps out of his thought and shakes his head in time with Daniel’s raised hand. He places the bitten bungeoppang in front of Jihoon’s mouth.

“The hotdog made me kind of full,” Jihoon says with a small voice.

But Daniel doesn’t lower his hand, he’s still expecting Jihoon to take a bite. Jihoon stares at him for a moment before giving up. He blows the steam off from the bread and takes a small bite. Daniel’s breath hitched when Jihoon’s lips accidentally touch his fingers but Jihoon doesn’t notice.

Daniel retreats his hand. He stares at the rest of the bread in his hand and quietly puts it into his mouth. “How’s it?” he asks in a voice lower than intended.

“Delicious!”

Daniel takes a bread for himself before passing the rests of the sweet in the bag to Jihoon. “There’s no way you’re not hungry, we are growing. There’s no dieting in the music club because we don’t allow it. Here!” he says.

Jihoon smiles widely and accepts it. “Thank you.”

Daniel can’t keep his hand to himself, he ruffles the shorter boy’s hair. Even though Jihoon is getting closer to the music club members, he still has this distant and melancholy look in his eyes that refuses to be approached. It’s as if there’s something big that won’t make the mist go away from his eyes. Daniel really wants to make them disappear.

He doesn’t know if it actually has something to do with Jihoon’s request—to take credit of Jihoon’s rendition of Jaehwan’s ‘Energetic’. He wants Jihoon to play the piano just like the first time he hears the sweet melody from behind the music room’s closed door. He wants Jihoon to stop refraining himself from playing the piano in the music room. He wants Jihoon to play his own music in front of the club members. He wants Jihoon to rearranges all of Seongwoo or Jaehwan’s shitty compositions.

“You should join us next week,” he says suddenly, realising that he really wants to listen to Jihoon’s music.

“Hm?” The younger boy raises his eyebrows.

“The music event here,” Daniel explains. “Woojin said he would also come next week. He couldn’t come today because he had to go to his cousin’s wedding. You should also come here next week.”

Jihoon is taken aback for a moment. He seems to be thinking deeply for a few minutes. Instead of saying no like he is supposed to, Jihoon blurts out, “I have to buy snacks if I lose?”

Daniel raises an eyebrow. He laughs and pokes Jihoon’s round cheek with his index finger a few times. “I can give you some of my allowance if you lose.”

Jihoon pouts. “I don’t think I will lose. And if I do, I have enough allowance to buy all of you snacks. And if I don’t have any, I will just ask Minhyun- _hyung_ to buy the snac—” Jihoon gasps at the sudden realisation that he left his piano teacher to run away from Seongwoo with Daniel. “Minhyun- _hyung_!”

Daniel scratches his eyebrow awkwardly.

Jihoon fishes his phone from the pocket of his coat. He puts the phone in silence since morning so he doesn’t know when it’s ringing. Numerous notifications fill the screen of his phone right after it lights up, all of them are messages and missed calls from Minhyun. He gulps and immediately unlocks his phone to call the older man. Daniel watches as the younger boy takes a few steps away from him. Daniel can hear vaguely when Jihoon explains that he is with Daniel and asks where his piano teacher is. He frequently apologises to the phone before closing the call and turning to Daniel.

“Um… do you know where the west entrance is?” he asks with an apologetical look in his face. “I have to go home. Minhyun- _hyung_ is waiting for me there.”

Daniel stares at the younger boy for a moment before turning his heels to the direction of the west entrance and gestures Jihoon to follow him. “I will escort you there, young master,” he says with a chuckle.

“Thank you,” Jihoon mutters and smiles.

When they’re already close to the place, they can see Minhyun who’s standing near the entrance with a worried look on his face, his eyes are searching for Jihoon. Jihoon immediately calls his name and runs to him. When he stops in front of the man, he bows his head and apologises. Minhyun pats his head and says he doesn’t mind that but he was worried when he couldn’t find Jihoon anywhere after he came back from the restroom.

Before they walk away, Jihoon turns his head to Daniel and waves his hand. Minhyun also notices him and throws a small smile. Daniel waves his hand to send them off.

When the two finally disappear from his sight, Daniel sighs. He turns around and walks away from there.

* * *

“ _Hyung_ …” Jihoon softly calls Minhyun.

“Hm?” Minhyun responds. They are already in front of Professor Park’s house and Minhyun stops his car.

“Is it possible to go there again next week?” Jihoon asks with hesitation but also anticipation in his voice. He bits his lower lip and stares at his teacher anxiously.

“You want to go there again?” Minhyun removes his own safety belt before doing the same to Jihoon’s. He turns around to grab his bag he placed in the backseat and look for Jihoon’s rosin in it. He takes Jihoon’s hand when he finds it and hands it to the boy. “I won’t give you too much hope.”

Jihoon sighs and fists the rosin in his hand. His body is slacking on the car seat. He can’t hide the disappointment on his face. He is staring at Minhyun. The older man laughs and pinches the boy’s cheek. He only releases the soft cheek after Jihoon whines and slaps his hand. He gets out of his car and moves to the other side to open the door for Jihoon. Jihoon steps out of the car and walks to the gate of his house, ignoring Minhyun who is laughing.

When he is about to open the gate, Minhyun stops him by shouting, “I will take you out again next week if you promise to be a good boy for the next seven days!”

Jihoon turns around and smiles at him. He raises a thumb up before entering the gate and waving his hand. Minhyun waves his hand back. The gate is now closed.


	3. Tristesse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter embarrasses the sh/t out of mi (´• ε • ｀) im a sucker for gross fluff but i

This is the first time since he— _unofficially—_ joined the music club. When Jihoon makes his way to the music room, he can hear them playing from a few steps away. The room has soundproofed walls but still not enough to conceal the noise but at this hour no one is at this part of the school buildings because most of the students who stay after school are in the sports clubs in the gym two buildings away. The sound that escapes from the room is one of the addicting melodies that Jaehwan created. Even though he’s been there for a week, now he’s not sure if he wants to come in. He stops in front of the door and contemplates. Will they make him play the piano if he enters? He already knows the answer but he pushes the door open anyway.

“It’s Jihoonie~” Jaehwan stops playing and claps his hands. He’s in front of a keyboard Jihoon has never seen in the room before. Out of the others, Jaehwan’s piano skill is the most decent even though he is ungraded and only practices by ears. He is talented and can do anything he wants with his talent that sometimes Jihoon envies.

The others also stop playing and turn their eyes to him. Jihoon looks around to see Seongwoo on his seat behind the drum set, Daniel with his bass and Woojin with his guitar. In the corner of his eyes, Jaehwan stands up and approaches him. He grabs Jihoon’s wrist and pulls him in. After closing the door, he drags Jihoon to the front of the new keyboard. It doesn’t look new despite its absence in the music room before but it still looks intact. He’s eyeing the keyboard, observing every button and key.

Jaehwan touches the keyboard with the index finger of his free hand and Jihoon looks up to see his sparkling eyes. “Look. We got you a keyboard!” he says with a wide smile on his face. “I know that the grand piano is still good and cool and all but we need a convenient instrument that can be carried everywhere. It’s not new since we got it from a second-hand music shop but it’s still good, I promise.” He holds Jihoon’s hand with both of his hands and raises it to the front of his chest, squeezing it excitedly and full of hopes.

Jihoon looks around to see the others’ expression. They all don’t look any different from Jaehwan and his heart clenches.

“We are now a five-man band!” Seongwoo makes a drum roll.

Daniel laughs and picks his bass in time with the drum.

Jihoon is taken aback by their effort to get him an instrument he can play in the band. He feels really happy yet he also feels apologetic because… he doesn’t know if he can do this. He doesn’t know if he can play it like this. Even if he can do it, he doesn’t know if he can continue it.

The shorter boy opens his mouth in hesitation. _No, I can’t accept this…_ “Thank you…” he says instead as he feels the keys underneath his fingertips. He wants to press them. He wants to play it. Then he looks at Jaehwan’s expectant eyes.

The older boy releases his hand and pinches his cheeks. “Aw, look at how your eyes twinkle. You need to smile like this more, Jihoonie.”

Jihoon doesn’t even realise that he is smiling widely. He slaps Jaehwan’s hands away from his hurting cheeks. “It hurts.” He nurses his cheeks after Jaehwan moves his hands away.

He looks at the keyboard again and asks, “Are you really giving this to me?”

“Well, of course. All of us can play it but you will be the one taking care of it, all right?” Jaehwan says.

The younger boy nods cutely. “This will be my first time playing keyboard.”

All of them stares at Jihoon with scandalised expression.

“Really?” Seongwoo asks.

Jihoon answers with a nod.

“What have you been playing all this time? You only play piano?” Woojin raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah… only upright and grand pianos…” he says before biting his bottom lip. Is it something wrong or weird if he has never played an electric keyboard before? Is it different? Is he supposed to not admit it?

Jaehwan laughs and claps his hands.

“Of course, the aura of a rich young master exudes from you,” Seongwoo says, pointing at the younger boy with one of his drum sticks.

Jihoon somehow feels embarrassed and his face redden at Seongwoo’s words.

Jaehwan pats the younger boy’s shoulder. “Nah. It doesn’t matter even if you have never played it before. All that’s matter is that you can play it. Okay~ okay~” Jaehwan claps his hands and walks to where his guitar is. He takes it and puts the sling on his shoulder.

Daniel stares at the short boy who’s admiring the keyboard. He beams when his fingers press the keys and Daniel can’t help but smile at the sight. Cute.

* * *

Jihoon forgets the time but he doesn’t care. He is happy he can play without any burden. One time they play seriously and one time they trash around. Jihoon never feels this content before. This is the kind of thing that Jihoon wants to do every day, playing One Ok Rock’s songs instead of Chopin’s, messing around instead of moving his hands across the keys in confining rules. He wants to be here tomorrow too, also the day after tomorrow.

Their busking only ends when the day is turning into dusk and Jaehwan whines because he’s hungry.

“I want chicken,” Jaehwan speaks. “How about you, Woojinie? Jihoonie?” he asks the juniors.

“Chicken!” Woojin answers, putting his guitar away.

Jihoon looks around confusedly before nodding with hesitancy.

“Let’s go to KFC!” Seongwoo says.

“Let’s go~ let’s go~” Jaehwan puts an arm around Woojin’s shoulders.

Daniel tidies the room with Seongwoo as he stares at Jihoon who’s taking out his phone from his messenger bag to check if there’s any notification. The boy looks visibly tense as he moves his thumb across the screen and he bite his lower lip in worry. When Jaehwan approaches him and asks him if there’s something wrong, he jumps a bit and puts the phone on his chest as if trying to cover the screen. He shakes his head and Jaehwan takes his hand.

When they leave the room, Daniel keeps his eyes on the shortest boy in their club. Jaehwan has been holding his hand and talking to him as they walk out the school ground to lessen his awkwardness with them.

“There’s KFC in the next block, do you know?” Jaehwan starts a conversation, swinging his and Jihoon’s intertwining hands between them.

Jihoon shakes his head.

“Do you like chicken? Or you want something else?” Jaehwan asks, tilting his head. The younger boy has been quiet ever since their club activity ends and he doesn’t know whether it’s a good sign or not.

Jihoon immediately shakes his head again and waves his free hand in front of his face. “No, I- I really love- I mean, I like chicken,” he says.

Jaehwan grins and ruffles the younger boy’s hair.

“It’s just that… I don’t get to eat it very often…” Jihoon explains. He lowers his head and pouts. “I can only get it when I’m with Minhyun- _hyung_ , but the last time we ate it was two months ago…”

“That’s too long ago. We can’t function without KFC at least once a week,” Jaehwan says.

Seongwoo suddenly lunches himself between them and puts his hands on each of their shoulders. “Oh? That Minhyun? Isn’t he the piano teacher you went to the mall with?” He turns his head to look at Jihoon closely with a grin on his face.

The younger boy widens his eyes in surprise and nods his head. Jaehwan glares at him and tries to shake the hand on his shoulder off.

“Introduce him to us! Please?” Seongwoo makes a pleading face.

“Not us,” Jaehwan tries to shove the taller boy away by elbowing his stomach with his hand still holding Jihoon’s. “You want Jihoon to introduce him to you because you want to get into his pants.”

Seongwoo finally backs away. “What’s wrong with that? You talked to him but I didn’t get to exchange with him at all! He looks super hot and he supports me too. Did you hear him shout my name that time? That voice is also fantastic~” He giggles delightfully.

Woojin who walks beside him cringes and tries to make a wider distance between them.

“Stop it! Jihoonie is traumatised!” Jaehwan protests.

“I’m traumatised,” Woojin says.

“Ah~ come on~” Seongwoo starts whining and snoops his hand between Jaehwan’s and Jihoon’s to pry them.

Daniel walks behind them. He’s staring at the others in front of him with indifferent countenance. Daniel feels glad whenever Jihoon opens up but the boy still seems to hide something. He looks like he really enjoys being with them but also cautious. He’s curious if it’s because of his too well upbringing.

When they finally arrived, Jaehwan orders the food for them. They surround a table and chat, meanwhile Jihoon takes out his phone again out of his bag and checks it. Seongwoo is bickering with Woojin and Daniel is staring at Jihoon again. The boy bites his lower lip again as he scrolls the screen. Several seconds later, the phone in his hand is vibrating and he almost jumps in surprise from his seat. It seems like he’s receiving a call. He panics and taps the answer button before putting the phone on his ear.

“Hello, Dongho- _hyung_ ,” he answers quietly then his eyes move around the place in dread. “I’m… I’m… at school.”

Daniel raises an eyebrow. Why is he lying?

“Yes,” Jihoon says and he closes the phone call.

At the same time, Jaehwan reaches the table with a tray full of chickens and drinks while complaining, “Why are you bastards here and chatting and not helping me carry this? I’m the club preside-”

Jihoon stands up and slings his bag over his shoulder. “I’m sorry. My cello teacher is picking me up. I have to go back to school. I’m so sorry.” He bows himself a few times before turning his heels and walking away from the place in a quick pace.

Seongwoo, Woojin and Jaehwan stare at his retreating figure with gaping mouths. Daniel also takes his bag and stands up from his seat, running after Jihoon.

“Mum calls me,” he shouts as he opens the door before slamming it shut.

“What’s wrong with them? Isn’t Daniel’s Mum in Busan? Why is he running like that? Is he going to Busan?” Jaehwan scrunches his eyebrows, putting the tray on the table and distributing the colas. “Look, now we have too much food…” he glances at the extra chickens and two cups of cola, not that he is complaining though.

“Wait, is the cello teacher also his piano teacher?” Seongwoo asks, slightly hoping that they’re different because he wants to eat chicken, not running after Jihoon for a chance of him bumping into Hwang Minhyun.

“Do you know that cello and piano are different?” Woojin says as he takes a chicken and dips it in a sauce.

“Who knows?” Seongwoo glares at him.

Woojin shrugs his shoulders and bites his chicken.

* * *

“Dongho- _hyung_!” Jihoon calls as he runs towards the black car parked near the gate of his school. There’s a tall and muscular man who leans on the side of the car with a hand inside the pocket of his trousers and another holding his phone up. He turns his head towards where Jihoon is and knits his eyebrows when the boy is approaching him.

The small boy stops in front of him and drops his upper body exhaustedly, supporting himself by putting his hands on his knees and trying to breathe hard.

Dongho stands up straight and puts his phone inside the pocket of his jacket. He stares at the boy’s shaking shoulders.

“You said you were at school?” he questions and scratches his eyebrow.

Jihoon raises his head to look at the older man. His cheeks are flushed from the loss of breath. “I- I can explain.”

Dongho sighs and opens the door of his car for Jihoon. “You’re worrying us,” he says. By us, Jihoon knows he means Jonghyun, Minhyun and him.

“I’m sorry.” Jihoon stands up and puts a hand on his chest to calm his heart down. He stares at the open door then looks back at Dongho. “Is father home?”

“Luckily, he’s not,” Dongho answers. Jihoon breathes in relief. But then the older man continues, “But he knows that you’re not home doing your cello practice.”

Jihoon opens his mouth and then closes it again. He opens them again but no word comes out.

“He’s still at the seminar in Tokyo. I don’t know how he knows it, he called me earlier and told me to pick you up,” he says. “Now, get in-”

“Tell him Jihoon is not going to go home and practise cello either.” Someone comes up beside Jihoon and takes the boy’s right hand. Jihoon turns his head in surprise and sees Daniel. The older boy pulls him close. “I will return him tomorrow.”

He runs away and brings Jihoon with him. Though surprised, Jihoon follows him. Dongho is taken aback for a moment before chasing after them but Daniel runs faster and Jihoon thinks he’s almost dead from running too much. They take so many turns until Daniel is sure that Dongho is no longer behind them. Damn, that’s scary. Is the man really Jihoon’s cello teacher?

Daniel stops and Jihoon falls to his knees beside him, trying to catch their breaths. Jihoon laughs breathily and holds onto Daniel’s hand tighter. The older boy also lets out a husky laugh. It takes a whole minute for the laugh to stop and finally Jihoon raises his head to meet Daniel’s gaze.

“Do you like running away from people so much?” he asks, remembering the event that happened three days ago where Daniel also took his hand to run away from irate Seongwoo.

“He looks like he will force you to go home even if you don’t want to,” Daniel answers, noticing his hand that’s still holding Jihoon’s.

Jihoon laughs again, trying to stand up but he fails. “He won’t. But I will admit that he’s the strictest teacher out of three.”

“Having too many teachers will make you go bald,” Daniel says, helping Jihoon up when the shorter boy is struggling to stand up.

When Jihoon is steady on his two feet, Daniel is still holding his hand. Jihoon stares at their intertwined hands with a blush that adorns his face. Daniel stares at the boy’s face and can’t stop a smile forming on his face. When Jihoon looks up to see him, he smiles back.

“Thank you,” Jihoon whispers. His eyes are watery.

Daniel hums and nods.

Then the shorter boy averts his eyes from Daniel and makes a worried expression again. “Are you really going to return me tomorrow?” he asks.

Daniel snickers. “If you want to?”

Jihoon looks at him again and tightens his hand around Daniel’s. The older boy reciprocates.

Daniel looks around to see their surroundings. They ran quite far away from their school and it’s even far away from the KFC where their friends are right now. Even if they go back to KFC now, Daniel is not sure that there will be any food left for them. The sky is getting darker and he realises that the air is getting cold too. He pulls Jihoon closer to him until their sides collide.

“Do you still want chicken? Not KFC though.”

Jihoon nods.

* * *

“What flavour do you want, Jihoonie?” Daniel asks while they are looking at the menu on the wall.

“Honey,” Jihoon says as he points at the flavour he chooses.

Their bodies are so close and they still don’t let go of each other’s hand.

Daniel blinks at him. “Are you sure? It’s spicy. Look at the number of chillies underneath the flav!”

Jihoon looks up at him with twinkling eyes. “I want it.”

“Okay then.” The older boy turns to the vendor. “One honey and one cheese.”

The lady nods and starts to cook their orders. They stand there and stare at the old lady’s working hands. She laughs when she notices their hands.

“Kids nowadays go straight on a date after school,” she mutters.

They turn their heads to look at each other after hearing that. They keep staring at each other as if confirming if the other wants to let go or not. No one lets go and then they turn their heads to the lady again when their orders are done. The lady places two small paper bags in front of them and they take it in each of their free hand after Daniel pays. Then they stare at each other again with an expression that says, ‘How are we going to eat it?’

When the lady is about to suggest them to unlatch their hands, Daniel shows his palm that’s holding his paper bag in front of Jihoon.

“Just put it in my hand. My hands are big enough,” he says.

Jihoon’s ears turn red. Daniel’s hands are indeed… big—and warm. He puts his paper bag on the little space left on Daniel’s hand then he takes a pair of chopsticks with his left hand.

“Can you use chopsticks with your left hand?” Daniel asks.

“Most pianists are ambidextrous,” Jihoon answers.

“Are you one?”

“N-no. But I’ll try.”

Daniel snorts. He bows his head to the old lady behind the stall and mutters a thank you before pulling Jihoon away. The lady stares at their receding figures in amazement.

After taking a bite of the first chicken, Jihoon stops and covers his mouth with his hand that’s holding the chopsticks. Daniel also stops and asks him if he’s okay. He almost laughs at the boy’s reddening face.

Jihoon almost loses his voice but he manages to say, “It’s too spicy.”

“What did I tell you?” Daniel laughs.

“Sorry…” Jihoon licks his red lips.

“Just feed me with yours and you can eat mine,” Daniel says.

“Is- is that okay?”

Daniel nods.

Jihoon feeds him with the honeyed chicken. Daniel moans when the spiciness comes. Jihoon feels bad and he tightens his hold on Daniel’s hand.

“Do I have to buy a drink? I will buy a drink!”

Daniel glances at their hands. “No.”

“But it’s spicy…” Jihoon glances at the food he ordered and feels guilty.

“I’m okay.”

He opens his mouth again and Jihoon puts another in his mouth. He hisses and Jihoon secretly holds back a laugh. He eats Daniel’s cheese flavoured chicken and hisses too. He stares at the chopsticks in his hand and pouts.

“The chopsticks are covered in the honey seasoning.”

“Should I eat both?”

Jihoon shakes his head immediately. “I will eat the cheesy chicken.”

They walk around together on the not so crowded street. Jihoon stops when he notices a pair of men underneath one of the streetlamps playing a piece of music with their guitar and violin. The passers-by are stopping to surround them. Jihoon is staring at them with longing in his face. Daniel notices his expression and squeezes the younger boy’s hand to make him turn his attention to him.

“Do you want to take a closer look?” he says with a smile on his handsome face.

Jihoon smiles back and nods.

They move closer to the forming crowd to take a better look. They are playing one of Kodaline’s songs and Jihoon is visibly delighted.

Jihoon doesn’t take his eyes off of the street musicians. Daniel doesn’t take his eyes off of Jihoon.

“Do you know this song?” he asks the shorter boy.

“Yes,” Jihoon answers with a nod. “I know a lot of recent songs too.”

“I like One Ok Rock.”

“Me too.”

“I like Radiohead.”

“I like them too.”

“Coldplay?”

“Yeah.”

“Kodaline.”

“Keane.”

“Muse.”

“I even like My Chemical Romance.”

“I have my emo days, so I like that too.”

Jihoon turns his head and laughs. Daniel grins.

“You like a lot of rock bands,” Daniel says.

The younger boy nods cutely. “Yeah.” He looks back at the musicians. He sighs loudly and his warm breath ghosts in the air before disappearing. “But my parents think they are garbage.”

Jihoon lets out a shaky breath. “I formed a string quartet with Minhyun- _hyung_ , Jonghyun- _hyung_ and Dongho- _hyung_ ,” he starts.

Daniel softly comments, “You seem to be really close to them.”

“They are like older brothers to me,” Jihoon replies with a warm smile on his beautiful face. “I forced them to play with me instead of practising but they never refuse. We played my favourite rock band once in the backstage of my father’s conservatory and he found out. They got lectured for hours. My father scolded them a lot in the past because of me. Even so, they’re never tired of indulging me.”

His eyes are glazed with liquid warmth and Daniel can only stare at them. The music and the noise of the crowds are roaring in the air but they don’t reach Daniel’s ears. All of Daniel’s senses are only filled with Jihoon and his surroundings have turned into a blind film. Jihoon’s smaller hand is trembling in his, if he could hold it tighter, he would.

Jihoon stares at Daniel with those teary eyes and says, “I don’t want to be bound to the conservatory. Father always says that I will be useless without it, I can’t live without it, I will be nothing without it. I used to love playing Beethoven and Haydn but now I hate all of them. I hate all of those music sheets in my bedroom. I hate the grand piano in the study room. He makes me hate all the things I love.”

Daniel releases Jihoon’s hand for the first time that day to hold the younger boy when tears finally escape from his eyes. He caresses Jihoon’s head and places it on his wide shoulder then puts his arm around Jihoon’s quivering shoulders. It’s a funny sight because he still has food in his hand and Jihoon is still holding the chopsticks but luckily everyone else is too focused on the performing musicians.

Jihoon puts his hands on both side of Daniel’s waist and clutches the older boy’s uniform jacket. The honey seasoning on the chopsticks is staining the cloth but Daniel doesn’t mind.

* * *

Jihoon sucks on the straw of the strawberry milk Daniel bought from the convenience store near the river. The older boy’s large jacket is draped on his shoulders. The owner is sitting right beside him and he is struggling with the wrapper of a rice cracker. Jihoon smiles and tries to hide it by lowering his head and clutches the large jacket with his free hand, pulling it around his body. It has Daniel’s calming smell on it and Jihoon’s cheeks are tinted with rose colour in realisation.

When Daniel finally manages to open the wrapper, he puts a whole rice cracker into his mouth and sighs.

“Now I regret telling your teacher that I will return you tomorrow,” he says, staring at the city lights reflected on the river’s rippling water.

Jihoon only stares at him. Regret? Jihoon looks away. He feels upset somehow. What does Daniel regret? Is it because Jihoon is not a fun companion?

“Since I can’t let you sleep outside, I want to bring you to my place but-” Daniel stares at Jihoon and gulps. “I wonder if you’re okay with it.”

Jihoon looks up with a hand holding the mild carton and the other playing with the straw. “A- are your parents going to be mad?” he asks in a low voice.

Daniel scratches the back of his head inelegantly. “That’s not the problem,” he says and grins sheepishly. “The problem is I live here alone in Seoul. My parents are in Busan. So, I only have one bed…”

Jihoon blinks a few times before a blush spreads on his face and neck. Both of them are stupid if they don’t realise that they are attracted to each other, so this kind of thing makes them feel nervous. Jihoon drinks his strawberry milk again in embarrassment. Daniel only lets out an awkward laugh.

“I won’t do anything, I promise,” he says.

And that makes Jihoon narrow his eyes on him.

“I will sleep on the floor,” Daniel adds.

They walk together to Daniel’s flat. It’s close to the place they’re hanging around just now. It’s just a small humble living space near the river, quite close to the school but far away from his house. He then remembers home and fishes out his phone from his messenger bag and notices that he’s out of battery. He sighs and puts it back in his bag. It’s better if he doesn’t turn it on, right?

When they are inside, Daniel turns the light on and winces. He glances at Jihoon who looks around with indifferent expression.

“Sorry, it’s… kinda untidy,” Daniel mutters.

Jihoon looks like he doesn’t mind. When Daniel pulls the jacket framing his small body, he jumps back and tightens the jacket around him. He widens his eyes at Daniel and the older boy also does the same.

Daniel scratches his head in frustration. “I’m- I’m going to put it in the washing machine.” He points at the stain Jihoon made on his jacket, the honey seasoning and his salty tears.

Jihoon whimpers in embarrassment unconsciously. He takes the jacket off and gives it to Daniel while muttering a small ‘thank you’. Daniel smiles and takes it. He walks to his closet and opens it for Jihoon.

“Wear anything you’re comfortable with after taking a shower, I’m going to wash my jacket,” he tells Jihoon, pointing at the clothes inside his closet then at a door Jihoon believes where the bathroom is.

After Daniel leaves, Jihoon walks closer to the closet and stares at the array of clothes in it. All of them… smells like Daniel. The room smells like Daniel. He covers his heated face in embarrassment. What’s he thinking?

He snatches a random sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants before running to the bathroom.

* * *

Daniel is sitting on his bed with an acoustic guitar in his hands when Jihoon comes out from the bathroom with his oversized baby blue sweatshirt and sweatpants and a towel on his head. The light is turned off and the only thing that lights up the room is the dim moonlight. The younger boy moves closer to the bed and sits on it insentiently. But Daniel—who is aware—moves from his bed and sits on the floor under the window instead, resting his back on the peach coloured wall. Jihoon stares at him with a confused look as he dries his hair with the towel.

“Are you going to shower?” Jihoon asks. “I’m sorry, I think this is the only towel left in your bathroom.”

“I shower at night,” he says.

Jihoon tilts his head in confusion. “You’ll get sick,” he says.

“Just go to sleep first.”

“I’m not sleepy yet. I think.”

“Sleep. I will play you a lullaby,” Daniel says, picking his guitar.

Jihoon stares at the guitar and asks, “What are you going to play?”

“Chopin’s-”

“-Nocturne,” they say in unison and burst out laughing.

“Opus 9, Number 1,” Daniel adds. “I only know that and number 2. Or do you prefer Debussy?”

“I love that Nocturne,” Jihoon says with a soft smile.

The moonlight falls upon him and frames his delicate figure in blue. As Daniel starts to pick his guitar, Jihoon rests his tired body on the bed and closes his eyes. He clutches the pillow and breathes in. The scent of Daniel smells like the scent of his freedom and he wants to bask in it all the time.

The beautiful melody of Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1 created by Daniel’s nimble fingers is floating in the air and covers Jihoon with indescribable warmth. His house is bigger—even his room is bigger than this flat but Jihoon would rather live in this small space with Daniel’s lovely melodies.

Lethargy hits his mind. His fingers on the soft and fluffy pillow, moving about in harmony with Daniel’s fingers as if they’re playing on an imaginary keyboard. It takes a moment before his movements slow down and then gone completely. His hand is laying limply on the pillow. Soft snores come out and Daniel stops his fingers, staring at the boy on his bed with an apologetic look in his eyes.


	4. Torrent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this months ago and i dont think its ok to let it sit in my computer for too long when i dont have any idea anymore... this chapter idk why i wrote it like this but please dont flame me if you find it too bad or too dramatic or TOO RUSHED lol
> 
> i will probably change the whole chapter if i finally decide to write the whole plot

Jihoon wakes up to the smell of something delicious and he opens his eyes. He blinks his eyes to accommodate the light coming through the window. He breathes in and out steadily, inhaling the nice smell on the pillow. He whimpers and gets up from the comfortable and warm bed. He forgets where he is until he looks around the small bedroom surrounded by peach coloured walls.

A bookshelf in the corner of the room with a lot of comic books in it (not the music sheets he usually sees first thing in the morning), an acoustic guitar and a bass in another corner, a desk filled with stuffs that seem to be toys and all of the boyish stuffs that he doesn’t collect, small drawers and cupboard that are definitely not his own. Then realisation hits him that he is in Daniel’s room since last night. He notices the futon on the floor that he didn’t see yesterday. It is already made up and neat. Daniel must’ve slept there last night.

Then he turns his body to where the door is. It is slightly open and he can hear the sound of silverwares clanking outside the room. He slowly leaves the bed and walks towards the door before realising that since it is not his room and no one will make the bed up for him, so he turns around and walks back to Daniel’s bed and try to make it as neat as possible before leaving the room.

When he gets out of the room, he sees Daniel in the small kitchen. The older boy smiles at him and greets him when he notices Jihoon coming out of his room. He is preparing a pot of ramen on the stove and Jihoon trudges closer to take a look and his eyes are widened at what’s inside. The pot is rather big and it is almost full, filled with ramen and its broth.

He looks at Daniel with his wide eyes. “Aren’t that… too much for two?” he asks in a low voice. “Or are you having another guest?” he looks around to see no one else in the vicinity beside the two of them.

“Only four packs. It’s not much,” Daniel says with a chuckle. Jihoon’s small mouth is agape. “One for you and three for me.”

Jihoon stares at the back of Daniel’s head as if the older boy has grown another head and the staring continues until they eat their breakfast and Daniel finishes three bowls worth of ramen. Jihoon himself likes instant ramen but he is never allowed to eat more than one bowl. He gets to eat it once in a blue moon which is when he goes to Minhyun’s house and the man allows him to eat.

Looking at Daniel’s tall stature and defined body, suddenly Jihoon feels sad. He looks down to see his own body that looks small and Daniel’s clothes look so oversized on him. Jihoon wonders if Daniel’s built is the result of eating too much junk food—his father calls ramen _that_.

“Sorry, I don’t have anything else,” Daniel says after slurping the last drop of the ramen broth and starts to clean the dining table.

Jihoon immediately stands up to help, he doesn’t want to appear rude because he is just a guest.

“It’s okay, don’t mind it. Just go take a bath first,” Daniel says as he prepares his hands to wash the dishes.

“Is it really okay?” Jihoon knits his eyebrows and bits his bottom lip, putting the bowls and chopsticks in the sink.

Daniel smiles and ruffles the younger one’s soft tangled locks. Jihoon blinks his eyes repeatedly, feeling comfortable and lethargic from the soft touch.

“It’s okay,” he says sweetly and Jihoon knows that a blush is spreading across his face and neck because he can feel it. “Since your uniform is still in the laundry, I will prepare my old uniform for you after cleaning this up, alright?”

They stare at each other for a few moments before Jihoon nods and turns around, leaving Daniel who is grinning at his retreating figure.

* * *

Even though Daniel says that it is Daniel’s first year uniform and that he has overgrown it but the clothes still feel too baggy on Jihoon’s smaller body. He is embarrassed when he realises how small he is and he keeps lifting the sleeves so they won’t completely cover his hands.

Daniel though, giggles and snickers all the way to school as he walks beside the smaller boy. Jihoon blushes and avoids Daniel’s eyes. Maybe he needs to start eating three packs of ramen for breakfast from that day on.

They are walking side by side along the road leading to their school. The road is busy, but it feels as if they are inside a sphere, an extra-terrestrial space where it is only the two of them under the bright sky that day, and they feel safe and comfortable being inside the sphere without even talking to each other.

Daniel’s steps slow down when they are reaching the school gate and finally stops. Jihoon also stops on his heels and tilts his head up to see Daniel who is staring— _glaring_ —at something or someone who is standing by the school gate. The metaphorical sphere surrounding them is broken when Jihoon follows the direction of his sight to see Minhyun who is now looking at them with worried expression on his face.

Jihoon suddenly remembers that he was supposed to go home with Dongho yesterday and that Minhyun is supposed to be the one who sends him to school today. He averts his eyes and bites his lower lip. He can’t lift his head to see Minhyun. Last week, Jihoon remembers that Minhyun promised he would bring him to the music event in the mall if he behaved for a week but Jihoon didn’t do it. He is the one breaking the promise.

When he finally sees a pair of oxford shoes that are familiar to him, he looks up to see the anger on Minhyun’s face and he has never felt this scared for the past two years. He isn’t even scared of Minhyun’s anger. Anger will only look scary on his father. The only thing he is scared of is being a disappointment to his piano teacher. He looks down again and heaves with so much difficulty. He clenches his hands into fists.

“Where have you been? Why do you turn your phone off?” Minhyun asks with a raised voice. He glances at Daniel who stares at him with indifferent expression for a moment before returning his eyes to Jihoon.

“I’m- I’m sorry… I’m…” Jihoon can’t get any excuse out of his mouth and his fingers are starting to fiddle with the hem of Daniel’s sweater on his body.

He gasps when Minhyun pulls him close and places his arms around Jihoon’s smaller frame, hugging him close and tight. He sighs in exasperation and Jihoon tenses at the sound because it is close to his ear. He really wants to call Minhyun’s name but he is unable to. His throat is constricted and his heart races, even Minhyun’s hands caressing his head and back can’t calm him down. He just made a huge mistake, didn’t he?

“We are so, so worried about you,” Minhyun says, his voice trembles a bit and Jihoon feels really sorry.

Jihoon hugs him back and clutches the back of Minhyun’s shirt.

“Your father is home and waiting for you, Jihoon.”

Jihoon gulps and lets out a sob.

“He wants you to go back. He thinks he can’t let you out from his sight again,” he adds and Jihoon’s tears start to spill.

“I don’t want to go,” Jihoon says between his sobs.

“We can’t give you any assuring word. We’re sorry,” Minhyun says.

Daniel is still staring at the teacher student in front of him. It is as if he is not there and watching. His heart aches when he sees Jihoon’s shoulders tremble. He wants to reach out and takes him away from his teacher’s embrace.

“Please…” Jihoon speaks again. His hands are clutching Minhyun’s shirt harder. “I want to go to school…” he begs. “I want to stay here. Please. At least for today. Please?”

It takes a moment for Minhyun to shake his head and Jihoon to drop his hands limply to his sides. Jihoon is losing again.

Without waiting for Jihoon’s cry to subside, he releases the boy from his embrace and takes the smaller hand. When he is moving to step away from their place, he can feel a large hand grabs his wrist that is holding Jihoon’s hand. He stares at the hand around his wrist and trails up to see Daniel who is glaring at him.

“What are you going to do to him?” Daniel almost barks. He doesn’t want to create a scene. Some students are already slowing their pace to watch when they notice them.

Minhyun glares back at him and shoves his hand away. “Jihoon is going to be home schooled,” he says. “Again.” He pushes Daniel’s chest and the younger one backs away a few steps. “And it’s because someone is meddling with his life.”

With that, he takes Jihoon away. Daniel hand brushes Jihoon’s trembling hand. The younger boy doesn’t even turn his head to him, doesn’t even look at him. They walk towards where Minhyun’s car is and Daniel can only stare. If he runs to take Jihoon’s hand again from his teacher, will he set Jihoon free? If he punches Minhyun’s face, will Jihoon— _and Seongwoo_ —hate him?

But Daniel only stands there until the car is gone from his sight. He looks up to the sky and sighs. He just made a huge mistake, didn’t he?

* * *

Jaehwan keeps sighing and staring at Daniel. He is sitting in front of their grand piano, an arm draped on the lid and the other is on his thigh. His eyes don’t leave Daniel who is frowning and hitting Seongwoo’s drum set with his own drum sticks. Seongwoo is out to help Sungwoon, their club advisor, and probably will go straight home after helping the teacher out, meanwhile Woojin is doing another club activity (Jaehwan already lifted the music-club-only ban after so much ponderings over the music club’s rules).

Jaehwan himself can’t stop his own lips to protrude slightly ever since Daniel told him about what happened. Daniel has been limiting himself from talking lately and Jaehwan is utterly upset that their club activity also suddenly halts right after Jihoon disappears. It has been two days since and it makes him feel down.

“Is Jihoonie really not coming back to school anymore?” Jaehwan asks when Daniel stops hitting the drums to take a sip of the mineral water he placed underneath the stool.

Daniel looks up and meets Jaehwan’s gaze. He shrugs his shoulders and sighs as he closes the cap of the water bottle and starts hitting the drum again. Jaehwan glares at him. Is this guy for real? He doesn’t care at all about their junior? Jaehwan’s hands are suddenly itching to grab the collar of Daniel’s uniform and slap him on the face. He sits straight and fists his hands to content his rage.

“You should’ve taken him away from that Minhyun guy! What’s wrong with you? Jihoonie said he wanted to go to school, right? You said that? You should’ve never let him take Jihoonie home! And I thought you cared about him but you stayed quiet and did nothing for two days! Seongwoo and Woojin and I go to his class every day to see if he comes to school but you don’t do anything and it upsets us! You are the one disappointing!” Jaehwan suddenly bursts.

Daniel glares back at him.

“I care about him but I know that he is not coming back so I don’t bother to take a peek at his classroom. And I’ve told you that it was the result of me taking him away from his cello teacher,” he says. “Do you think that taking him away from the second time will make everything better?”

“Yes!” Jaehwan stands up from his seat and faces Daniel. “We could’ve taken him to our places and he would still be able to go to school with us! You make him upset! You make us all upset!”

Daniel snorts. “You can’t just do that! Why is all the blame suddenly on me? Are you too dumb to understand that his father is actually insane?” he barks.

“And you let Jihoonie go home to his insane father?” Jaehwan bits back.

“Shut up or I will kiss you!”

Jaehwan shuts up and leaves the room—not before kicking Daniel’s bass guitar and letting it fall to the floor with a loud thud and a snapped string.


End file.
